After Raj Thackeray’s speech, MNS workers vandalise Gujarati signboards on Mumbai highway

We are just following rules and our leader’s orders, say MNS activists from Boisar, who destroyed nameboards of at least six hotels

Workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), returning to Boisar after attending Raj Thackeray’s Gudi Padwa rally on Sunday night, vandalised signboards of at least six hotels in Vasai, along on Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway 8, as they were in Gujarati.

Six hotels nameboards were damaged late on Sunday at Vasai. (Mohammed Hussain Khan)

The incident took place at Sativali, around 47km from Mumbai.

The Waliv police were in the process of registering a First Information Report on Monday morning; no arrests have been made so far.

In his speech at Shivaji Park, Thackeray had objected to Gujarati signboards posted outside hotels on highways. “We decided to remove signboards written in Gujarati,” said Kundan Sankhe, MNS leader from Boisar. “We just followed our leader’s orders. As per rules, all signboards should be in Marathi, but to attract Gujarati and Rajasthani customers, hotel owners had put up boards in Gujarati. We will not tolerate such gross violation of rules.”

Sankhe claims the local MNS unit has raised the issue previously with the local police, Vasai civic authorities, and also asked the hotel owners to remove the signboards. “They did not listen to us, so we had to take MNS-style steps,” he added.

Roshan Rajtilak, additional superintendent of police, Vasai, said: “The Waliv police will register cases for rioting and mischief under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and arrest the culprits The hotel owners have complained that their signboards were torn and vandalised.”